Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

Ryou Bakura's daddy was an archaeologist, and Ryou was very, very proud of him. Ryou didn't mind being left alone, or shuttled between relatives, if it meant his daddy was off discovering old worlds or unearthing hidden secrets. Aside from maybe being a wizard (a job which, as the bullies at school pointed out while kicking him face-down into a mud puddle, rather lacked a future nowadays), Ryou really couldn't think of a cooler thing his daddy could be!

And then one day Ryou's daddy excavated a boy.

"This is Malik," Ryou's daddy told him, leading a dark skinny boy a few inches taller than Ryou into the hotel room. "Yes, Daddy," Ryou replied, since he'd seen the TV specials – how many going-on-nine-year-olds could say that their daddies had been on TV for digging up not only ancient mummies, but real live people as well?

Malik had been dirty and sticklike when they'd first led him out of the ground, but now he had been given some nice new clothes to wear and a clean, trimmed haircut. Only his eyes, staring at Ryou like he could burn the other boy to the ground, remained creepily alien.

Nervous, Ryou gulped and offered a helpful little wave. "The psychologist said Malik should spend some time with boys his own age," Ryou's daddy was saying; that much, Ryou hadn't known from the TV. "I received permission for you two to not be filmed – Malik also needs his privacy. Can I count on you to look after him while I go interview his sister some more?"

Ryou's daddy nudged Malik, prompting the boy to draw a stack of illustrated index cards out of the pockets of his fancy new pants. "Since he doesn't know any modern languages yet we've been using these cards to talk to him. He'll show you the picture when he wants something."

That seemed like something people might do with babies, not a boy Ryou's own age. Ryou felt sorry for Malik – but here in Egypt he kind of wished he had some cards like that, too. "Sure, Daddy," he agreed, though the look on Malik's face made him antsy. "W-will you be a while…?"

Ryou's daddy sighed, lifted his hands from Malik's shoulders; Malik wandered away, past Ryou as if the other boy wasn't there, and curled up on the bed with the TV remote. (He'd picked up on some things really fast, Ryou recalled.)

"I can't exactly be sure," said Ryou's daddy, scratching the top of his head. "We have to get his sister to talk about their father – no one knows what to do with him…"

Malik's daddy had gone straight to jail, since he'd tried to kill Ryou's daddy's team and really hurt someone else who'd tried to make him take a bath. Ryou glanced at Malik, whose full attention seemed given to the swirling static as he pressed the "channel" button at rapid speed, and felt bad again. His own daddy had done a really cool thing by digging Malik's family out of the ground, but for the first time Ryou wondered what it would feel like to have strangers bust into his home and drag him somewhere totally new. No wonder Malik seemed so sullen.

"Well, you can count on me, Daddy," Ryou promised – and how hard could this be? The TV had said Malik was interested in everything. Ryou would just show him all his toys and games, and even if they couldn't talk they could still have fun! "I'll take good care of Malik!"

"I'm proud of you," said Ryou's daddy, and headed off for his interview. Ryou waved goodbye until the door had closed all the way, feeling pretty hopeful. He hadn't brought many toys, but maybe Malik would like his comics! Or the new dragon he'd bought with his allowance, two weeks back…

Malik, however, waited until he was sure Ryou's daddy wasn't coming back through the door. Then, like a silent ghost, he pounced on Ryou from behind.